Romantic suspense can cover a wide range of heat, danger, and vibes. A book might be relatively light on romance but packed with violence, or deliver high spice alongside a more moderate level of suspense.
Occasionally, I use ratings on my own books or in book reviews. To make it easier to know what to expect, I use separate ratings for spice and violence, rather than treating the books as a single scale.
These ratings are intended as a quick reference, not an exact science. Individual scenes and readers’ interpretations will vary, but the key should give you a useful idea of the overall intensity before you pick up a book.
Spice Level
🌶️ = A little romance, not very graphic
🌶️🌶️ = At least one open-door scene
🌶️🌶️🌶️ = Multiple open-door scenes
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ = Plot revolves around spice
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ = No plot, just smut
X = Not a romance
Are we talking gory?
🔪 = A little light violence
🔪🔪 = At least one person gets kidnapped, dies, or loses a significant body part
🔪🔪🔪 = Not for the squeamish
X = No violence whatsoever
Who’s in charge here?
💙 = He takes charge and takes care of business
💜 = Evenly matched
🩷 = She saves herself and the world too
Who’s bankrolling this mess?
£ = He’s blue collar makes ya holler
££ = He doesn’t have to worry about paying the rent
£££ = His bank balance is longer than his phone number
💎 = She’s the wealthy one
Vibes
🤍 = Light laughs – focus is on the romcom, someone still might die though.
🩶 = Getting greyer around the edges – there might be murder, but let’s make it fun.
🖤 = Morally dark – dark humour, dark themes. Death, SA, child abuse may described on the page.